Mass Solo Revolt

w/ The Cut*Off, The Brothers Gore

Wednesday, April 2 @ Tasty World

originally published April 2, 2008

Martin Brummeler may be the most motivated, hard-working and talented Athens musician you've never heard of. Although always working at a steady clip via multiple projects, Brummeler remains both confident and humble while sticking behind the scenes. In addition to running M. Cadet Studios, he also owns and operates Community Billygoat Records.

While working in Washington, DC, Brummeler completed his solo album Easy Mark, which was actually a working collaboration between all its players, but now he is back in Athens with his new project Mass Solo Revolt. That band has already completed its debut recording, The Sap. "After years of home recording, this was the first time I had good recording gear and a dedicated recording space to work in, meaning not in the house/bedroom," says Brummeler. "The songs were created in the studio, as opposed to a 'real band' setting."

While much of the record is completely accessible, Brummeler hadn't intended, really, to appeal to anyone in particular. "I look back and realize I made a lot of decisions on that record to challenge the listener; to confuse or frustrate them even," he says. "I buried a lot of melodies, and was completely over the top with feedback and distortion a lot of the time. There is pop stuff all over it, but I hadn't quite 'come out' and embraced that streak yet."

Although the album was recorded by just Brummeler and former drummer James Broussard, the band's live incarnation involves Brummeler, bassist Jim Frye and new addition Russ Sherman on drums. Always seeking to expand the band's angular, yet surprisingly and refreshingly tuneful sound, Brummeler remarks, "Actually, I really want to add a 'utility' guitarist/synth/backing vocals person, too. So if anyone's interested..."

Gordon Lamb

Electa Villain

w/ Stephanie's Id, Olympus Mans

Thursday, April 3 @ Tasty World

originally published April 2, 2008

Electa Villain

Electa Villain first popped up in Athens in mid-2004 featuring the lineup of C.K. Koch, Justin Allmett and Jay Hoots. After some ups and downs - Hoots moved to Seattle in 2006, and the band played only one Athens show in 2007 - the guys are looking to get back to gigging, delivering a vibrant blend of electronic elements with Radiohead-influenced mellow(ish) rock.

"For a while after [Hoots] left Electa Villain got pretty vague," says Allmett. "We flew him in and did a session in Asheville where we recorded about eight new tracks in like two days. We also flew him in once to do a session in Athens at Normal Studios. So, for a while Electa Villain was strictly a studio band… we played our first show in months at Lenny's [in January] as a three-piece featuring Jay Murphy on drums. The show felt great and we are re-enthused about playing out live again."

Electa Villain will once again feature a three-piece lineup for this week's show at Tasty World. If it's been a while since you heard the band, you might notice that vocalist Allmett has changed his croon more towards the Coldplay and Travis end of the Thom Yorke-influenced spectrum, as opposed to a more rock and roll, Elvis Costello-inspired sound of earlier days.

"The show will feature a lot of new material and will be quite a bit more high energy than we have been in the past," says Allmett. The band has an album's worth of material that should be available for purchase at www.myspace.com/electavillain by the time you're reading this.

Chris Hassiotis

Dromedary

Saturday, April 5 @ The Melting Point

originally published April 2, 2008

Dromedary

Since forming in 1999, Athens' Dromedary has toured more widely and frequently than most unsigned bands, playing over 600 concerts in North America. But Sticks and Stones, the independently pressed album that the group will release at its show on Saturday, doesn't sound like the work of a road-weary band. The 11 songs on the new album are patient, nuanced and careful. This is the work of musicians immersed both in their craft and in their community with one another.

Such studied, subtle performances are rare among bands who combine genres as freely as Dromedary does. Though it is often tagged as a jazz or world music act, the group transcends labels: on Sticks and Stones, you'll hear Southern folk sounds from Rob McMaken's dulcimer and mandolin, hints of African pop in Andrew Reissiger's acoustic and electric guitars, gypsy rhythms out of Louis Romanos' drum kit, and bop grooves from Chris Enghauser's bass. And never, never, never, are these stylistic collisions forced or predictable. Nor are these four gentlemen reckless or imperialistic as they cross cultural and musical boundaries. Dromedary takes seriously the traditions from which it draws. When listening to Sticks and Stones, you don't hear ego; these guys have humbled themselves before their muse. This isn't to say that the album is never assertive or intense - in fact, it often is. Dromedary's method, though, is not slapdash.

This performance marks a return to Athens for Reissiger, who now lives in California. He and McMaken - the band's cofounders - will tour the West Coast this summer. So take advantage of this opportunity to see these four performers together in the Classic City.

Phillip Buchan